Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1887-04-05
SIEGE OF THE ALAMO.
RECOlLECTiONS OF AN EYEWITNESS
OF THAT TERRIBLE STRUGGLE.

The Hopeless Fight of 100 Gallant Ken
tuckians led BY Coils. Travis and
Bowie-Davy Crockctt's Dcath-Scena
After the Massacre.
| In the struggle for Texan independence
none bore hraver part than Col R. L.
Crompton, of Roxbury, Mass. A reporter,
bearing of Col. Cromptons presence in the
| city. sought him out and, by the expendi-
ture of much persuasive eloquence, induced
him to give an account of his experience dur
| ing the war Of independence.
"In the winter of 1884" Col Crontpt6n be.
| gan, Il left my home in Massachusetts for the
purpose of seeking my fortune in the west.
My destination was Lexington. KY, but
while on the Ohio river | fell in with party
OF young men who were on their way to Join
Col. Travis in Texas, and, carried away by
their vivid pictures of the life of adventurous
excitement that awaited them in that coun-
try, Joined their hand without much lnowi-
edge us TO the right or wrong of the cause
which pledged nvseIf to sustain We trav-
clei by heat to Ne-g Orleans aud there took
ship for Galveston. Here we prdcurtd horses
| and proceeded to Join the Texan forces, then
Operating in the neighhorhood of San Antonio
tie Bexar Anything less like an army in ap-
pearance it would be hard to imagine Uni
form there was none each dressing to suit
bis own peculiar fancy, and the men were as
various as their attire.
ENTERING SAN ANTONIO.
Shortly after my arrival / attached my.
self to the command of that magnificent Ten
liesseean, Col Milan, and soon became de
yotedly attached to him. He was a man of
splendid character, withuut the sternness of
Travis or the strong flavor of bfdckguardisrn
that hung about Houston.
"As soon as we had gathered sufficient
strength we attacked the Mexican forces in
San Antonio. They far outnumbered us and
a desperate Struggle ensued For days we
fought in the streets and among the adobe
houses, each of which was miniature fort
resS. With picks and spades we dug cur way
through the walls from house TO house, thus
avoiding the great loss which would have re
suited from any attempt at direct storm
The fight for the Nereminda house was fierce
and bloody, but at last we drove the Mexi-
cans out and took possession. But our tri-
umph was soon turned to mourning. for
shortly after it was captured the beloved Mi
lam fell dead, shot by a Mexican who Law
concealed behind a wall on the opposite side
of the San Antonio river We at length OBJ
tanned possession of the town, but did not re
tain it long, the advance of President
Santa Anna compelled rs to withdraw, ieav-
ing Travis, with less than $50 men, to garri
son the town.
Il shall never forget the day when Young
Maverick rode into our camp with the news
that Travis, refusing TO retreat, was shut up
in the Alamo and surrounded by an over
whelning force
STEALING THROUGH TIE LINES
Il dc not know what madness possessed me,
but when heard that Houston had decided
that he was too weak to march t. the relief
of Travis las was indeed the casel | deter
mined to gallop to San Antonio, endeavor to
steal through the Mexican lines and ioin nv
old Kentucky friends. who were nearly all
within the garrison walls : reached San
Antonio without difficulty, and found that
one assault had already been made. and that
the hesieged had more than held their own
So far all was WELL but in endeavorng to
creep between the Mexican pickets | was fired
upon and wounded, and owed my escape from
ieath to the darkness With difficulty
made my way to the house of Mexican
whom had befriended during our occupa-
ton of the city, and he generously agreed to
conceal me in his house. A narrow window
commanded an excellent view of one front of
the Alamo wall, and from this point could see
nearly all of that memorable struggle Day
after day the Mexican fire was kept UP, and
time after time were their storming columns
hurled against the old church wall which
formed the Texan rampant But nothing could
disturb the calm desperation of the defenders,
and at the close Of each day the lone star flag
floated as proudly, and, apparently, rs securely
as ever from the roof of the mission The
Mexican losses were fearful Their clumsy
escopetas were no match for the long Haw-
kins rifles in the hands of the Kentucky and
Tennessee hackwoodsmen. Hundreds fell
every day, but their loss was little felt in that
overwhelming host, while every man of the
garrison who died was an irreparabe injury.
The line along the wall grew very thin, but
still there was no thought of surrender amidst
that gallant band. AT length, when death
and wounds had reduced the poor handful to
half its original numbers, the Mexicans eff
fected lodgment in an undefended portion
of the wall, and poured in by hundreds.
TIE LAST DESPERATE STRUGGLE.
although there was now no hope of sue
cess. the brave Texans fought as steadily and
firmly as on the first day of the seige From
room to room went the fight, and the punv
Mexicans learned by bitter experience what
deadly weapons bowie knives and clubbed
rifles were in the hands Of desperate Ameri-
cans. But human endurance has its limits, |
and at length Santa Anna was master of the
Alamo, but not until the last American lay
cold in death. From my window l could
hear the shouts and yells and see the strug-
Cling figures. When all was over, begged
my host to go into the Alamo and bring the
news of all that had occurred. He came
back in an hour or two, and said that such a |
shambles had never Eeen seen. The dead
were heaped in wild confusion all over the
building, and the cutters fairly ran with
blood. IN room on the ground floor was
the corpse of Col. Bowie, who had been butch |
cred upon his sick bed Not far from him
was found the brave and eccentric Crockett.
But the most impressive sight was in small
room in the upper story, where the gallant
Travis lay, bullet hole in his forehead, sur
rounded by the corpses of fifteen Mexicans
who had died by his own hand OF the Tez-
ans, not one survived, but they did not die
unavenged as 800 Mexicans fell before less
than $50. It was well said that "rhermopyla,
had its messenger of defeat, the Alamo had
none
Il served through the rest of the war and
was at San .jacinto but after the tale Of the
Alarno all seems small and petty, and it
would lie an anti-clmax for me TO continue
INV CT 7 -,